Maelan Terimidias
'Maelan Terimidias' Knightlord Maelan Terimidias 'was the reigning Lord of Fenris Isle for 30 Years before the start of the Second War. He along with many of the Order of Fenris we're skilled Knights, the protectors of Lordaeron, as they had been for generations. Biography 'Early Life Maelan had grown up believing in tradition. The Order of Fenris was a very selective group of warriors, and their future Knight Lord must share their beliefs as the Lords before him had. As was tradition, Maelan was taught everything by his father, the then leader of the Order, in order to eventually succeed him as leader. He eventually did, and lead the group proudly for thirty years before the coming of the Orcs. 'The Second War' Unlike his son, Maelan often felt bound by the tradition of the Order. The code of the Knight's was strict, and specific in it's teachings. It was a code of Honour, Disicpline and Skill. Archbishop Alonsus Faol approached Maelan. He was creating a new order of warriors within the church known as Paladins, and he wished Maelan to lead his bretheren, the then most powerful warriors at Lordaeron's disposal, to become among the first, to learn the teachings of the Light and advance their abilities in combat with Healing and Blessings. Maelan was quick to agree, All his life he had secretly saught more then Honor or Skill, he believed only under the Light's guidance could there ever be true peace and justice. The Idea did not go down so well with his comrades however. It was a 50-50 split, many agreed the Light was more noble, but many also swore to stay true to their vows as Knights and keep to their code, which forbid the use of magic, Including the Light. Among those to disagree was his own son, Araxamas. He was nearly of age to replace Maelan as Lord and was far beyond being lectured like a boy. Tensions rose and ultimately a brawl occured, neither side really winning. Maelan stopped the fighting, his voice booming across them. That night, Maelan renounced his Lordship of Fenris Isle and his leadership of the Order of Fenris to Araxamas, and left to join the Silver Hand along with those who followed him.. Araxamas yelled curses as he walked away. "Traitor!", "You and your 'Paladins' may never return!" The last word he meant. After Maelan and his men had joined the Order, they we're refused any access onto the Isle. Even if it was War Time. 'The Aftermath' After the War was over, the groups only grew further apart. Araxamas and his Knights, even though serving a vital part in the War, we're not invited to the Victory Parade in Capital City, instead the Paladins paraded around the city, which only lead to Araxamas falling deeper. Araxamas set out to work harder than any Lord before him had, He and His Knights worked tirelessly to capture the Orcs, hunt down Alteraci Traitors among other grueling tasks. The Silver Hand in the meantime became passive with peace time, although its numbers had grown ten fold there was simply nothing that needed doing. The Orc's were in camps, Alterac was clean, Stormwind was being rebuilt. Maelan watched his son's anguish, unable to do anything. Again and Again Araxamas presented his victories to the Nobles in Lordaeron, but still, even without doing a thing, They no longer considered the Knights an elite force in comparison to their Paladin counterparts. Araxamas eventually banished all Paladins, former Order of not. Fenris Isle was once a proud bustling Island, where the best of the best we're stationed. It was now a near deserted fortress, echoing it's proud history. 'The Third War' Maelan joined many of his comrades in welcoming Arthas's return to Capital City. The Silver Hand worked tirelessly in the Northlands and we're keen to show their numbers in the Capital to assure the people of their safety, and to give their Prince, their Comrade, a proper welcome. This didn't work out well for the Silver Hand as you might have already been thinking. The entire City was decimated albiet a handful of fishing vessels on the docks left behind by killed or fleeing fisherman, and their occupants of survivors. Maelan along with Uther and many senior Paladins had survived the ordeal, and now only had one place to turn. Fenris Isle. The Gates we're closed when they arrived. They had plenty of time to see the small vessels approach and to prepare for their arrival, yet no welcome was given. The Gate's stood solemnly, the red backdrop of a burning Capital behind them. And on the ramparts, Araxamas, Peering down at his Father and the other Paladins. It took a few minutes for him to open the gates, not a word was exchanged. Araxamas had the Knights prepared in ceremonial lines on each side of the courtyard as the Paladins entered. It was clear he wanted to show who was in charge now. Despite the feud, Araxamas had the Paladins looked after. Fenris Isle became a waystation for survivors enroute to Dalaran. Despite Maelan's requests, Araxamas refused to see him privately, even during the cremation of King Terenas, held on Fenris Isle, Araxamas said nothing to his Father, their relationship still stained by his betrayal. 'The Siege of Fenris Isle' Fenris Isle had operated as a waystation for months, The Scourge sought to siege it, but there was simply no way. The Isle was the most fortified location in all of Central Lordaeron, The Lake an already natural barrier against the Undead. Suspected ships we're simply shot out of the water. Additionally there was no siege weapon from shore that could touch it, and all the Air support in the form of Gargoyles and Frost Wryms had left with Arthas, to Quel'Thalas. The Scourge did have an Ace in the Hole however. His name was Thule Ravenclaw. For weeks the Dreadlords worked to corrupt the young mage. He was ambitious and was easy to manipulate. Thule eventually gave the Dreadlords all they needed. Information regarding the sacred and secret tunnels below the Island, used by the Knights for generations as secret travel routes to reach locations with speed. The Undead swarmed into the Keep in the dead of Night, many of its defenders fell without even reaching a blade. But these we're Lordaeron's finest. What remained of Uther's most senior Paladins among the now re-united combined Order of Fenris, Paladins and Knights. The Siege was long, sheer numbers pushed the group back, and back, They could not escape, for the Undead would simply chase them down. Undead did not tire, they did not sleep, they did not need to eat drink or rest. There was no way of escaping, They would eventually fall by sheer numbers alone, Maelan saw only one option. He rallied his Paladins for a charge, They glowed in unison, cutting into the Undead ranks like butter. He yelled with all his fury for the rest, the Non-Paladins, to flee, to escape. At first Araxamas refused, but he knew as Maelan did there was simply no hope. Despite the code, he would not let the Paladin's deaths be in vain, and they fled the Island... 'The Scourge' The Dreadlords controlled the Island for some time until Arthas's return. Kel'Thuzad quickly saw use for the Island and its fallen occupants. Kel'Thuzad trained Thule Ravenclaw in the arts of Necromancy and was quite impressed. Thule had a natural talent for it, and would easily class as Kel'Thuzad's most powerful student. Kel'Thuzad knew the Scourge had no hope in Central Lordaeron, the new Scarlet Crusade and Sylvanas's Forsaken would easily topple the Scourge here. But not if they knew nothing about them of course. Thule Ravenclaw was left to command the Scourge in Central Lordaeron, in secret. He would use the Rot-Hide Gnolls as a facade, a mere spec on the land, as to not draw the other factions attention. All in while, he slowly built his army of the dead in the tunnels that had damned the Island in the first place. With Kel'Thuzad's help, Maelan and his Paladins had become excellent Death Knights, utterly Loyal beyond question. Maelan became Thule's errand boy, He and his Death Knights became a twisted reflection of their former might. Despite Thule's attempts, the Knights seemed to have a staggering loyalty to their 'code'. They never crossed the code, even if it meant disobeying a direct order from him. Among these was the Lordship of Fenris Isle, and so Thule made Maelan a puppet leader of the Knights, 'The Knight-Lord of Fenris Isle'. Maelan unlike the others was more willing to cross the code and was keen to show his master what torment he could inflict on the living. So Maelan set out into Tirisfal Glades every so often, capturing, plundering and slaughtering any he met, he made sure to leave no trace, no witness of his operations, not willing to allow the other Factions to know the Scourge was still, as strong as ever before. 'Death' Maelan had allowed his son to grow too strong, and rally too much support. While attempting to defend the Dawning Isles from his son's incursion. His son became enraged after he saw his wife become injured. Unable to match the raw strength and fury of his son, Maelan was cut down. Following his death, he was cremated along with the Death Knights who had fallen by his side, Araxamas spread his ashes over Lake Lordamere. Appearance, Traits and Characteristics Appearance Maelan is a tall, muscular man. His skin greyed by his service in Undeath, his eyes glowing. His Hair is streaks of white, even before his death they had been light grey. His armor was a twisted red replica of a real Fenris Knightlord's, only his was adorned with skulls and other unsightly engravings. He is always seen riding utop his Deathcharger. Once his son's, the steed served him now in undeath, It's combat training serving Maelan on many occasions. In his hand, always lay his Hammer, the same one he had used as a Paladin. He preferred the weapon over a runeblade, although heavier, It was far more effective in dealing with the heavily armored Scarlet Crusaders. Traits and Characteristics Maelan was a good man, and while alive was comparible to Alexandros Mograine in many ways. But to him it was far more noble to serve the Light, than to serve a King or a Code. In Undeath, He became a sinister and cruel Death Knight, as many were, but other Death Knight's paled in comparison to Maelan's cruelty and cunning. Maelan served his master, Thule Ravenclaw, with a loyal bitterness, but was far more content with commanding his Death Knights, following no code or ruler but instead allowing his own twisted imagination to take shape in his work. He was a Death Knight now, and he served the darkness he commanded. His only weakness would come to be his son. Araxamas had survived the War and for years Maelan searched. Tirelessly he hunted his son, He wanted nothing more than his son to join him in the shadow, but also knew that Araxamas was the only one alive who could navigate the tunnels beneath the Island and foil the Scourge's operations. He couldn't let there be any weakness in the plan, Araxamas must be killed, at any cost...